


something's bound to begin

by sonlali



Series: Fics from Season Six [3]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Apologies, Coda, Episode: s06e03 The Job Interview, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22367353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonlali/pseuds/sonlali
Summary: david and stevie have a conversation following her job interview
Relationships: Stevie Budd & David Rose
Series: Fics from Season Six [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621702
Comments: 24
Kudos: 71





	something's bound to begin

**Author's Note:**

> slight spoilers for S06E03 "The Job Interview"
> 
> title shamelessly stolen from "Maybe This Time" from _Cabaret_

Stevie is feeling pleasantly fuzzy after her second glass of wine. She settles down onto the bed where David is already lying. The wine hasn’t relaxed David at all—if anything he is becoming increasingly more antsy as time passes.

Stevie glances at him from the corner of her eye. David has undone the top two buttons of Patrick’s borrowed shirt and keeps tugging at the collar, huffing noisily. He can’t seem to stop shifting restlessly and fidgeting with his rings. She shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath.

“You were an ass today, you know.”

David is silent, but she can feel him instantly still beside her. Stevie says nothing, counting the passing seconds in her head. She reaches 23 before...

“Yeah.” His voice is barely above a whisper. “I know.”

Stevie waits him out.

“I’ve been told before that I can perhaps be a bit competitive.” David adopts a self-deprecating tone as he speaks.

“Hm,” Stevie hums. That’s true, of course, as anyone who has ever met David would know. David is always obnoxious when competing for anything, no matter how trivial, but Stevie suspects that’s not the entire truth.

“Um, it’s just that I’m not sure you should accept a job at that airline. It’s kind of… um… trashy.” David fumbles his words.

“As opposed to the motel?” Stevie snorts.

“Yes, well, no… but yes. The motel is different. I know my dad is difficult, but I’m sure you could talk… talk to him.” David sounds skeptical even as he says the words. “He won’t… I mean, he won’t change, not really. But he’ll listen! He likes you better than he likes the rest of us. Except Mom, obviously.”

Stevie frowns at that but doesn’t say anything. She knows that if she remains silent, David will babble his way into the truth eventually.

“I mean, you don’t have to accept the first job offer you receive. You have to, you know, play the field a little bit. And… um, also that Carol woman was very snippy. Do you really want to work with her?”

Stevie opens her eyes and stares up at the ceiling.

“So you’re concerned for my happiness at this new job? How sweet of you, David.”

“No! I mean, yes… yes, I care… um, care about—” David trails off. “Do you—do you really want to leave the motel? Le-leave Schitt’s Creek?”

There it is. Stevie suspected this might be what David was getting at.

“Do you really want to _stay_ in Schitt’s Creek?” she counters.

There’s a long pause. David sniffles quietly.

“Yeah, I… I think I do,” he whispers.

“I don’t think that I do.” Stevie rolls over to face David. He resolutely stares at the ceiling, refusing eye contact, but she can see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “I’ve spent my whole life in Schitt’s Creek. Most of it behind the desk of the motel. I think I want… I want something else. Something more.”

David shuts his eyes tightly and bobs his head in a nod. “Mhm, yep, yeah, uh huh, makes sense.”

“I won’t be gone forever, and I won’t… It’s not like I’d miss your wedding. I just need…” Stevie honestly isn’t sure what she needs. Just. Something different.

“No, I know that.” David waves a hand vaguely and clears his throat. “I know. I get it.”

“I just feel like you and Patrick and Alexis… you’re all… doing something, and I’m just. Not.” Stevie shuts her eyes, internally cringing.

David finally turns over to his side to face Stevie. His eyes are red, but his gaze is steady.

“So this is what you really want? This is going to make you happy?”

“I don’t know, maybe? I think I just need to try, and if it doesn’t work out, then at least I’ll know.”

David nods and his lips twist slightly to the side. “It’s funny how I moved to this tiny dump of a town and found happiness, and you need to leave… anyway.” His brows bunch up in the middle and he clears his throat.

“David, it’s okay that you’re happy here.” Stevie fiddles with a button on her flannel. “I know you never thought you’d end up somewhere like this, but it’s… it’s okay that you did and that you want to stay. And just because I want to leave doesn’t mean that… um, you know. I’m not… ugh!”

Stevie flops onto her back and groans. She’s starting to feel queasy from too much sincerity.

“I’m not leaving you, David. I know you probably feel like Alexis is leaving you, and now I’m leaving… but that’s not what’s happening. I’m going to, you know, miss you and stuff.” Stevie peeks cautiously at David’s expression and sees a smug grin on his face.

“Don’t!” she warns.

“It’s okay, Stevie, it’s perfectly understandable that you would miss me.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Stevie shoves him harshly, laughing when he nearly topples over the edge of the bed.

When David recovers, his expression is serious. “I’m sorry I was such an asshole today. I was thinking of myself, and I… _fuck_. I didn’t consider how you were feeling, which was wrong of me and for that I am... regretful.”

“Wow, you are really fucking awful at apologizing.”

“Okay. Well, that’s all you’re going to get so.” David sits up, retrieving his glass of wine from the nightstand and sipping haughtily.

Stevie rolls her eyes and turns to grab her own glass, mainly to hide the smile creeping across her face. He can be a selfish asshole, but then again, so can she. Truth be told, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m…” David bites his lip, averting his gaze to a spot just left of Stevie. She braces herself for another bout of sincerity. Before Patrick came into David’s life, she didn’t have to deal with quite so much genuine emotion. “I’m really proud of you, and I’m also going to... miss you and stuff.”

There’s a warm, bubbly feeling in her chest and tears prick at her eyes. _Fucking Patrick, encouraging David to spill feelings all over the place._ It’s time to shift this conversation back to sarcasm and snark. And wine, definitely more wine.

“You look fucking ridiculous in those clothes, by the way.”

David’s jaw drops in outrage and Stevie smirks with satisfaction because this time—this time she wins.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr [@landofsonlali](https://landofsonlali.tumblr.com/)!


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